Dutch Judge Paves Way To Turn Coffeeshops Into Private Clubs For Dutch Only

by Allen St. Pierre, NORML Executive DirectorApril 27, 2012

While Amsterdam coffeeshop owners hope to be able to work out a political compromise to remain open for non-Dutch, it looks like the rest of The Netherlands will quickly move to embrace these court-ordered changes to their business model.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Long famous for “coffee shops” where joints and cappuchinos share the menu, the Netherlands’ famed tolerance for drugs could be going up in smoke.

A judge on Friday upheld a government plan to ban non-Dutch residents from buying marijuana by introducing a “weed pass” available only to residents.

The new regulation reins in one of the country’s most cherished symbols of tolerance – its laissez-faire attitude to soft drugs – and reflects the drift away from a long-held view of the Netherlands as a free-wheeling utopia.

For many tourists visiting Amsterdam the image endures – and smoking a joint in a canalside coffee shop ranks high on their to-do lists along with visiting cultural highlights like the Van Gogh Museum.

The city’s left-leaning Mayor Eberhard van der Laan is hoping to hammer out a compromise with the national government.

Coffee shops also have not given up the fight. A week ago they mustered a few hundred patrons for a “smoke-in” in downtown Amsterdam to protest the new restrictions.

A lawyer for owners, Maurice Veldman, said he would file an appeal against the ruling by a judge at The Hague District court, which clears the way for the weed pass to be introduced in southern provinces on May 1.

32 Responses to “Dutch Judge Paves Way To Turn Coffeeshops Into Private Clubs For Dutch Only”

The Dutch government fell on April 23rd. We’re having new elections in September, and I honestly would be very surprised if the next elected government continues with this, especially considering what parties have risen and fallen in the polls.

Whoa, saw this coming, no shocker here, but man, what a huge step backwards… Someone really needs to lock that guy in a room and clambake him, and then smack him in the back of the head for having such a stupid idea.

Sad, but I hope the Brits, Germans, Belgians, and French politicians will take the sticks out of the asses and legalize in their own countries, or at least adopt the polder coffeeshop model for their own countries to deal with the increase in black market sales at home. They could have their state security apparatus crack down on it in the American-style prohibitionist manner, which will cost more than managing the situation now does.

Cannabis Cup is just an international yearly event that began in 1987. The idea is to have fun and celebrate the cannabis harvest.
It is not at all out-of-control.
It would be like outlawing Mardi Gras.

The real problem is the Obama administration doesn’t want U.S. citizens to find a safe haven to smoke cannabis in other countries as tourist.
It is just a way of closing a loop hole.
Yes, the U.S. federal government is involved when it comes to globally outlawing cannabis.

I would love to visit Amsterdam as a dream vacation during the Cannabis Cup, but the busy Drug War Gang on Obama’s watch is preventing that. Any president who allow the Drug War Gang (DEA, ONCDP, Partnership for a Drug Free America, etc …..) to dictate policy and allow covert actions against the States and calls it congressional law is just a part of a U.S. drug cartel system.

What a sad time for the Dutch. As we in the US work to educate others to the many uses of this plant others have to play politics. There must be people growing in the other european countries that have complained to the Dutch. These black market growers will have an increase in market share for sure.

There is no doubt that the coffee shops have been an economic boom for Amsterdam.
If the Dutch only legislation went into effect, Netherlands would certainly lose a lot of revenue and tourists.
What else does the Netherlands have to offer to attract tourists?
Hence the law would take Amsterdam from being in the top 10 of tourist spots to perhaps high double digits in popularity.
However, I guess The Netherlands does not need the extra business and has plenty of excess cash to finance government needs.
It would be the same as making gambling illegal in Nevada. Sin City Las Vegas would suffer big time.
May as well make prostitution for the Dutch only as well.

Well, I feel like when they become yet another random European country, no better than any other (and with no more money or tourism than any other) they’ll come to their senses and realize ‘hey, maybe that whole marijuana being legal thing really was the primary reason a majority of people used to show up here?’ I sometimes wonder if they just haven’t grown complacent over the years and forgotten what exactly makes them unique.

Of course then it’ll be interesting to watch the usual side effects of prohibition occur. I’m assuming all that will happen is that there will end up being citizens looking to make a quick buck, and if it were illegal for non-citizens to get it said citizens would simply start buying weed from coffee shops and selling it to non-citizens for a profit.

Still none of this is set in stone yet. They may come to their senses. Not to mention perhaps they’ve forgotten that weed is illegal in lots of places. That doesn’t magically make it go away.

Honestly all this has done for me personally is make me respect the whole country a lot less. I always thought they were just a good, progressive country taking a realistic stance on important issues. Well, now as they’re showing their true colors they’re appearing more and more intolerant and self-serving all the time.

What happens when politicians hurt their industry for politics sake. the industry,economy,and the people suffer. Talk about biting tne hand that feeds them.
Similar to what happened in the Philippines when a few politicians rallied an opposition against the US bases in PI. Well, they succeeded and the towns surrounding the bases turned to ghosts towns.
Netherlands= Next Philippines.
They better come to their senses and retract that stupid ass law.

[…] to go into “Coffeeshops” and fire up? Or – have the politicians already made it so that tourists can no longer smoke pot in Amsterdam? The short answer, to that long question – is absolutely yes, tourists are still allowed in […]